Book Title: Indological Studies
Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan

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Page 353
________________ The Tale of the Royal Monk Yava Anila's son Yava was ruling over Ujjayini. His son named Gardabha (Pk. Gaddabha) was appointed heir-apparent. His daughter named Aḍoliya (Pk.) was extremely beautiful. Dirghaprstha (Pk. Dihapaṭṭha) was his minister. The Prince fell in love with his own sister. Secretary advised by the minister as to how to avoid public scandal he got her kidnapped and confined in an underground cellar. King Yava, disgusted with his son's behaviour, became a monk and left Ujjayini. Gardabha succeeded him on the throne. The monk Yava, out of love and anxiety for his son, could not commit to memory verses of the sacred texts. He periodically visited Ujjayini. Once on his way to Ujjayini, while he rested near a corn-field, he saw the watchman chase a donkey out of the field and heard him utter good-humouredly during this operation an extempore verses5 addressed to the donkey and meaning :'Oh donkey, (gaddabha) keeping an eye on me, you are running now this way, now that way; I have caught your design: you are intending to get at Yava ('the corn'). This verse stuck in the memory of the monk as he enjoyed the scene. Nearby some boys were playing the game of tip-cat. During the game, the tip-cat (adoliya), struck with the bat, fell into a deep hole (agada). The boys searched for it. One of them saw the hole and guessing that the tip-cat had fallen and disappeared there, he uttered an extempore verse6, meaning: 'It is possibly here, possibly there-the tip-cat (aḍoliya) being searched, is not traced anywhere. But I for one know that the tip-cat (adoliya) is thrown in the hole (agade)'. The monk who was watching this scene heard this doggerel and it too stuck in his memory. 343 Yava moved on and reaching Ujjayini he put up at the house of a potter. At night a mouse, now approaching now running away scared, was addressed by the potter with an extempore verse7, meaning: 'O you delicate fellow! you idiot! night-rambler! To you the danger is not from me, but from Dirghapṛṣṭha ('a snake')'. Yava witnessing this scene heard 'the doggerel, and that too he got by his heart. Now the minister Dirghapṛṣṭha, nursing an old grudge against Yava, secretly planted arms in the house of the potter with a view

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